Kung Fu Panda: Battle of the Millennia
by Tigreye33
Summary: Third installment of the Tiger's Eye Series and sequel to Kung Fu Panda: Curse of the Seer. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the Masters of the Jade Palace are chased from their home and from place to place in China. Will they regain control in time, or will the Valley of Peace fall to chaos?
1. Introduction

_Chapter One: Introduction_

_In Kung Fu Panda: Unseen Eyes, Tigress found a clue about her parents while retrieving a stolen artifact. During this time, the Masters met Vixey, a master detective, and the Polecats, a very skilled group of thieves. Vixey joined the team in time to help Tigress learn more about her past and escape from the villainous tyrant Huang Zu. Tigress learned the complete truth about her parents and met her birth father not long before his death. After the defeat of Huang Zu, Vixey became a permanent part of the team as a new Kung Fu Master._

_In Kung Fu Panda: Curse of the Seer, it was revealed that Tigress was a Seer, the beginnings of a Soothsayer. A vision led her to finding Po's birth father and a hidden colony of pandas. But before a search for the village could begin, the Jade Palace was visited by four Soothsayers hoping to recruit Tigress to their school, and Tian, Shifu's younger sister, was one of them! After Tigress rejected their offer for the umpteenth time, the leader, Wang, decided to pull some strings in his and his students' favor – by cursing Tigress. Without the ability to use advanced Kung Fu, she, Shifu, and Tian turned good fled from the Jade Palace to find her cure. While the Soothsayers and Masters alike chased after them, two of the Soothsayers turned against their teacher and joined the Masters. After curing Tigress, the Soothsayers stood up against and fought their master, willing to die to save the Masters. The Masters returned in time to save them and nearly beat Wang before he cursed Tigress again, this time threatening Tigress's life! In an attempt to save her own life, Tigress's powers became incredibly strong and killed Wang before he could kill her. During this entire adventure, Jin joined the Masters as the new quarterstaff master._

* * *

><p>The ship creaked to a halt. Two hulking figures stepped onto the dock and looked around. In the night, it was difficult for passersby to not feel intimidated by their large and unknown shapes.<p>

"P-papers?"

The two looked down on a pig who showed little fright. He'd tried to hide his fear, but his voice betrayed him. One of the figures shoved a fistful of paper into the poor pig's hooves and nearly knocked him off his feet. They waited impatiently for the pig to do his job.

"You're approved," the pig said quickly. "Just don't cause trouble."

"We won't," a small hidden being said from the shoulder of one of the large figures.

The voice caught the pig off-guard and he jumped. He said nothing as the three passed by and went towards town.

"Not for you we won't," the voice added out of earshot.


	2. Teaming Up

_Chapter Two: Teaming Up_

The two tigers stood staring each other down, ready to pounce. Each held a quarterstaff. They were both waiting for a single word...

"Start!"

Each dashed toward his or her opponent.

Jin attempted a jump strike on Tigress, who held her staff up and successfully blocked. She then threw him off, charging as he landed on his feet and slid back. She swung at him, but he bent over backward to avoid the blow. He then swung at her feet. She jumped over the attack. The tigers continued to exchange attacks, blocking or dodging each other. Occasionally, an attack would land, but the one on the receiving end wouldn't even flinch.

Tigress blocked an attack with her staff that sent her sliding backwards. She ran at Jin and pole vaulted over him and his attack, landing a particularly painful blow on the back of his head. However, he recovered in time to strike her legs with a sweeping blow, knocking her over. Before she could land flat on her back, she twisted and landed on her hand, flipping back up, ready to fight.

Jin began to spin his staff, keeping Tigress from landing any blows. She struck out at the spinning barrier, trying to disrupt the cycle. She tried stabbing at the barrier and striking to make the other staff reverse its course. Neither worked. Then she scaled her own staff and leapt over the barrier. Jin struck at the opposing staff, but as he hit it, the other end came at him and struck him in the face. Tigress landed behind him and struck him across the back.

Then Tigress found Jin's staff had come up between her and her own staff. She felt herself get pulled forward. She prepared to roll to her feet once she would land, but Jin moved his staff along hers, sharply hitting Tigress's hand. Taken by surprise, she lost her grip and landed awkwardly on her back. Before she could think about getting up, Jin's staff came down on her chest, firmly pinning her to the ground.

"Pin," Shifu said.

The other Masters looked like they'd been holding their breaths and erupted in chatter.

"That was so close!" Viper said. "You almost had him!"

"I thought for sure you'd beat him!" Po told Tigress.

Jin helped Tigress up.

"Maybe next time," Jin told her. "How you climbed your staff... you copied that from Shifu, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," Tigress said. "Who's next?"

The others immediately fell quiet.

"No need to jump up all at once."

Everyone turned to the entrance of the Training Hall. There was a tiger leaning against the doorway with a smirk on her face.

"Xinli!" Jin cried, his arms wide to receive her.

Xinli walked cheerfully to her boyfriend and kissed him.

"Miss me, babe?" she asked.

"'Course," Jin told her. "Life's lonely up here, away from home."

"Lonely? Around here?" Vixey started, and then whispered to Crane, "I blame Tigress."

Tigress shot her a look that made her cringe.

"We were wondering when you would stop by, Xinli," Shifu said. "It's been a while since your last visit."

"It's been a busy time since Jin came up here," Xinli said. "Now that I'm here to help, we can do two matches at once. Or we can do two on two? If there aren't any volunteers, I'm going to pick someone."

Jin snickered as he saw the others' eyes widened with slight fear.

"We show no fear in the face of the most frightening enemies," he began, "but at the possibility of getting hit over the head with a stick, you all freeze up? That's hilarious."

"Hardly," Tigress answered, the ghost of a smile on her face. "Why don't we make things a little interesting? You and Xinli against me and someone else and we don't have to use quarterstaff techniques."

"That's a good idea," Xinli added. "It might liven them up a little."

"Choose your ally," Jin said.

Tigress looked at the other Masters.

"Viper? Vixey?" she started, passing them over due to signs of reluctance. "Or how about... Po?"

The panda jumped a little.

"Uh... sure," he said hesitantly.

"Take your places," Shifu told them.

The four warriors complied.

"If you make us lose," Tigress whispered to Po, "you'll be the next one fighting Jin."

The thought made him laugh weakly.

"You ready, Jin-Jin?" Xinli asked.

"Always, my love," Jin answered.

"Begin!"

Everyone but Tigress ran forward immediately. She started a second afterward and ran up Po's back without the panda stopping at all. She leapt off his shoulders and made ready to land behind the opposing tigers. Jin froze in his tracks and spun around to face her.

"You think you could catch me off-guard like that?" he asked her, striking out.

Tigress hit the staff aside and struck at his chest.

"It was worth a try," she growled as the staff came back at her and swatted away her fist.

"Try harder," Jin answered.

He and his girlfriend fought back to back, warding off attacks and, in Xinli's case, occasionally landing a blow. Tigress aimed a kick at the staff, moving it aside. She hit Jin's right cheek before the staff came back, hitting his left as the staff went by again. This made him strike furiously, making her have to block time after time for a short while.

Xinli kept landing blow after blow on Po, making him need to block, but failing to half the time. But Xinli realized something too late. He was faking how badly he was getting hurt. The fat was cushioning most of the blows. She struck down on him and felt two of his fingers make contact with her right wrist. She gasped as she lost feeling in that wrist and the attack landed without very much strength.

"Trouble!" she told Jin.

Her boyfriend grabbed the top of her staff and pulled, sending her at Tigress as he slid under and shoved the end of his staff at Po's belly. Xinli swung down left-handedly at Tigress, the staff hitting her on the top of her head, stunning her for a very short moment. Po gasped for air after Jin's staff made contact. Then he cried out as he received a strike across his chest, knocking him over.

He fell flat on his back and Jin's staff pinned him to the ground.

"Pin," Shifu announced.

Jin turned away from the panda, who was crawling away breathlessly, and witnessed the scene just in time. Tigress was taking advantage of the fact that Xinli was not left-handed. Xinli was in clear distress. She struck out at Tigress, only to have her opponent grab the end of the staff that was closest to the ground and flip her. Xinli shrieked as she couldn't feel the ground anymore. She suddenly found herself flat on her back with Tigress putting enough pressure on the staff to keep her from rising.

"Pin," Shifu said again.

The two still standing rushed at each other. Jin struck at Tigress, but she slid under him, jumped up, and roundhouse kicked his head. Jin swung the staff backward, barely missing Tigress as he turned around. He began spinning his staff as he did in the previous fight. However, Tigress struck out at it, hitting it directly, and stopped the rotation completely.

Jin spun around and struck at the right and then the left, but Tigress blocked both times. Then she grabbed the very middle of the staff, spun it so he would be swept off his feet, slammed him onto the ground, and pressed down on the staff.

"Pin," Shifu announced again. "Tigress and Po win the match."

The other Masters cheered. Xinli rushed forward and helped Jin up.

"How were you able to stop that?" Jin asked. "The barrier... You couldn't stop it before."

"I didn't spend twenty years training with a quarterstaff," Tigress told him. "The staff, to me, is more like something extra. Something that's easily lost. I haven't learned to put more power into it yet."

"That explains a lot," Jin admitted.

"Xinli, wait," Tigress began.

Xinli was about to turn away, holding her useless right hand with her left. She flinched when she saw Tigress strike at her and felt a solid blow from two fingers on her right wrist.

"Eep!" she cried before regaining feeling in her hand. "Oh! Thank you!"

"No problem," Tigress answered.

"Does... does this mean I... still have to fight him?" Po asked wearily.

"No," Monkey told him. "You guys won."

"You can still fight him if you want to," Tigress said somewhat sarcastically.

Po sank to his knees in exhaustion.

"That will be enough for now," Shifu said, walking toward his students. "That was an impressive battle, all four of you."

The four fighters bowed to him, Po still on his knees.

"Thank you, Master," they all said.

"You're welcome to stay for dinner, Xinli," Shifu said.

"Sorry to fight and fly," Xinli answered, "but I need to go. I promise I'll stay for a little longer next time."

"You better keep that promise," Jin told her before kissing her.

"I will," Xinli said. "I couldn't stay away forever. Bye, everyone!"

"Bye, Xinli!" the others said.

Xinli left the Training Hall and disappeared toward the giant staircase.

Shifu immediately turned to his students.

"During the next quarterstaff lesson, I will not tolerate such reluctance," he snapped. "Either be ready to defeat or be defeated. You are all dismissed."

"Yes, Master," they all replied.

* * *

><p><strong>This may not be the greatest chapter, but it is only the second. Please stay tuned!<strong>


	3. An Invitation

_Chapter Three: An Invitation_

"So how long have you guys been together?" Vixey asked.

She and Jin walked into the Training Hall, where the other Masters were training.

"Since we were little kids," Jin answered, "but it didn't become official until about six years ago."

"Six years?" Vixey began. "Why haven't you proposed to her yet?"

"It didn't seem like the right time," Jin told her.

"Slackers!" came Monkey's voice.

"It's about time you guys got here!" Mantis shouted. "Get going!"

"All right, all right," Vixey said, stretching.

She flipped onto the Field of Fiery Death and danced past the jets of fire without getting a single burn on her robes. Jin pole-vaulted over the jets of fire and landed on the farthest edge of the Jade Tortoise, causing Monkey and Crane to steady themselves before continuing their fight.

Po and Tigress carefully edged around the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors, keeping an eye out for their opponent. Suddenly, several wooden figures began to spin around, the source approaching Tigress. She thrust her arm out, barely missing the flash of green zooming by. She kicked high in another direction, hitting Mantis and sending him flying. More wooden figures spun, their source heading straight for Po. He, too, struck out, but he was too late. Viper's tail struck him across the cheek, sending him spinning into the wooden figures. He was knocked around until Tigress caught up to him and steadied him. Then they prepared for the next attack.

As all the Masters were training, Shifu walked in to see their progress.

"Master!" Jin cried. "Found what you wanted!"

He tossed a scroll into the air and hit it with his staff, sending it in Shifu's direction before continuing his fight. The red panda effortlessly caught the scroll and opened it, reading quickly.

"Very well, Jin," Shifu said, "however, Vixey, this does not explain why you were late."

Vixey tripped and fell backward off the Field of Fiery Death, flipping back onto her feet. She quickly bowed to him.

"Sorry, Master," she told him. "Couldn't find my brush this morning."

"Learning Kung Fu does not require perfectly brushed fur," Shifu said sharply. "If you can't find it, go without it."

"How many times have they had this talk?" Po asked quietly.

"Too many to count," Tigress whispered, repelling Viper.

"I'll do better next time, Master," Vixey said, bowing again before leaping back onto the Field of Fiery Death.

Shifu shook his head and made ready to leave the Hall. Zeng suddenly ran in, stopping just short of the red panda.

"Master Shifu," he began, holding out a fancy-looking scroll, "this just came."

Shifu took one look at the scroll and rolled his eyes.

"This wouldn't happen to be another invitation from Ting, would it?" he asked. "She should know we can't come to every dinner and festival that happens in Gongmen."

"It doesn't look like that, Master," Zeng said as Shifu opened the scroll and began reading.

Shifu's eyes widened.

"Hmm," he began, "this is quite sudden. Why would he suddenly be inviting us?"

He turned toward his students.

"Stop, all of you," he said.

Vixey jumped off the Field of Fiery Death and Crane, Monkey, and Jin stood an equal distance apart on the Jade Tortoise to keep it from moving. Those among the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors stood at attention.

"You have been invited to attend the Emperor's birthday celebration," Shifu announced.

"What?" Mantis began.

"I hate these things," Tigress growled.

"When is it?" Viper asked.

"In two weeks," Shifu answered, looking back at the scroll.

"Two weeks?!" Vixey started. "His birthday is in six weeks!"

"Maybe he just wants to have an early birthday," Po suggested. "I don't know anyone who wouldn't want an early birthday."

Everyone looked at him.

"Okay, maybe I know two people," Po corrected. "Maybe three!"

"The point is, we all have to go," Monkey said.

"The Emperor himself invited us," Crane added.

"Not all of us," Shifu said. "All of you. I wasn't included on this list."

"That must be so heartbreaking," Tigress said sarcastically.

Shifu eyed her as Vixey muffled a giggle.

"In order for you to get to the Imperial City in time, you must leave tonight," he said. "Prepare yourselves, and I will see you in a month."

His students bowed to him and began to head for the barracks.

* * *

><p>"His birthday party?" Vixey began. "His birthday party? It isn't like the Emperor to have his birthday early! I think something's up."<p>

The eight Masters were walking along a wide path far from the Jade Palace while dusk was falling. There were dense forests on both sides.

"Maybe he suspects someone's going to make a threat against him?" Viper suggested.

"He's always suspicious," Mantis said. "He's the Emperor. There's always a group of people who don't like him."

"But Vixey's right," Tigress said. "It isn't like him to suddenly invite us to an early birthday. He would have made sure to invite us weeks ago. And even the mention of an 'early birthday' sounds dubious."

"Dubious or not," Po began, "the Emperor himself invited us to a personal event! The Emperor! Of all of China!"

"I figured you'd be psyched about it, Po," Crane said.

They continued on in silence. There was barely a light on the horizon when Tigress spotted a dark figure farther up on their path.

"Hold up," she said. "I have a feeling we'll need to be ready for a fight."

"You always have that feeling," Monkey told her.

Jin had already spotted the figure and reached back to grab his staff at a moment's notice.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," he muttered.

The uneasy feeling spread to all the Masters when they saw that it wasn't just one figure, but a group of them. The tension grew as they approached each other.

It was full-on night when the figures stopped walking.

"Halt!" one figure cried. "Masters of the Jade Palace! We place you under arrest for treason against the Emperor!"


End file.
